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Pepperdine U Joins EdX Partner Network, Plans to Launch First MicroMasters Program

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 02/23/23

Through a new partnership with online learning platform edX, Pepperdine University plans to launch its first MicroMasters master's degree program, available later this year. The new program will offer a flexible pathway to completing a master's degree through career-relevant, skill-based introductory courses. Students can apply these credits to an existing master's degree program at Pepperdine once admitted and enrolled.

Pepperdine has had a partnership since 2017 with online education company 2U, which acquired edX in 2021. Under the existing partnership, 2U supports 10 online graduate programs at the university, with over 5,000 students enrolled. The MicroMasters program will build on that success, offering Pepperdine's graduate degree programs to edX students worldwide.

Various existing online master's degree programs are offered through three of Pepperdine's five colleges: the Caruso School of Law, the Graziadio Business School, and the Graduate School of Education and Psychology.

"Pepperdine's partnership with 2U has enabled us to offer best-in-class online degrees in psychology, law, and business that expand opportunity for thousands of additional students, regardless of geography. The reach and open access of the edX platform allows us to expand that impact," said Jay Brewster, provost and chief academic officer at Pepperdine, in a statement. "Our plans to offer a MicroMasters program will not only make a rigorous Pepperdine education accessible to edX's 48 million global learners, but also give students an affordable, stackable pathway to degree completion."

"Our partnership with Pepperdine is a strong example of how we work together with our university partners to deliver high-quality online programs at scale," said Andrew Hermalyn, president of partnerships at edX. "This expansion of our partnership underscores Pepperdine's approach to research-backed, student-first online education and its overall commitment to evolving its offerings to meet the demand of today's learners by offering flexible, stackable education pathways."

For more information on Pepperdine's existing online master's degree programs, bootcamps, and other courses, visit the Pepperdine online learning web page.

Pepperdine University is an independent Christian university in Malibu, founded in 1937. It enrolls over 10,000 students in five colleges. For more information, visit the university's main page.

EdX was founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012 and offers thousands of free and open courses, professional certificates, boot camps, credit-bearing microcredentials, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, business, healthcare, science, education, social work, sustainability, and more. Visit edX's home page to learn more.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

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